Car-coupling pin



Dec. 30, 1930.

. W. J. SIMMONS, SR

CAR COUPLING PIN Filed OCL. 8. 1929 Patented Dec. 30, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM J. SIMMONS, SR., F COALDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNQR 0F ONE-TLIIRD T0 WILLIAM J. SIMMONS, JR., AND ONE-THIRD '2O MIKE PAVLIK, JR., BOTI-I QF COALDALE, PENNSYLVANIA CAR-cournme PIN Application filed. October 8, 1929. Serial No. 398,226.

This invention relates to a car coupling pin which is primarily intended for use with mine cars.

In large mines the mine cars Vare generally 'hauled out of the'mine in trains .containing ka considerable number of cars. It is the present'practice in most mines to run these carsonto a dumping apparatus which is designed toireceive 'several cars and which is adapted to turn the cars upside down in order to empty thevsame. If ordinary'coupling pins are used in such cars,these pins will vfall vout of the coupling heads or rbufferswhen the cars areinverted and consequently the pins are'apt to fall into the bins along with the coal and thus become lost, or else the pins must'be taken out of thecoupling heads beffore the cars are inverted `on the dumping apparatus.

The objectof kthe present invention is to provide a coupling pin which will not fall outof the car buffer when .the buiier and pin are inverted. This is' accomplished by providing the lower end of the pin with apivoted locking latch which is normally inoperative but which will move into'a position to lock or hold the pin Vin the car buiiier when the car is inverted.`

`A 'further objectA is toprovidea` pin of this character in `which the locking vlatch will operate very quickly when the car along with the .buffer and pin are invertedy so'that the `latch will become operative before the pin kfalls out of the opening in the buffer.

i The invention in one specific embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming apart hereof, and `in which:

' Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of a car coupling pin with the invention applied thereto s Y f Y Figure 2is a partial vertical sectional view ,on the line 2-,2 of Fig. 1; v

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figiexcept that theV pin is inverted, the lower end being turned up; Y

'Figure 4 is a transverse sec-tion on the line i 4 4: of Fig. 2;

Figure 5 is a kview illustrating a pin an ranged-in ,a'car bulfer ;V and vided with a recess 12 which extends longi-l tudinally thereoff and preferably in substantially the center'V of thepin. On one side of the-longitudinal recess 1 2 the body ofthe .pin is provided with av slot, as indicated at 13 and a similar slot 14 is provided on the'y oppesite side of the recess 12., A lokng latchY 15 is pivotally supported in the lower ,.end of 'E116 pin V,10, and part of this latch is arranged in the slot 13, The latch is pivotally supported as by means'of a pivot rod or pin 16 which extends through a part of thev pinlO and transversely of the slot 13 and through the body of the latch 15. The latch 15 is provided with upper and lower spaced portions or arms 17 and 18 which eX- tend inwardly land across the recess 12. Above its pivot 16 lthe latch 15 is provided with a locking portion 19 which is in eect position, that is, in such position as not to' interfere -with the withdrawal of the pin from or the insertion of the same into .the opening of a car buffer. When the position of the pin is inverted, that is, the lower lend turned -up as illustrated inFig. 3, the member will contact with the arm or portion 17 of the latch and move Athe same into the position shown in this figure. In other words, the lockingportion 19V of the latch 1 will ,be projected beyondthe side `of the pin and in such position as to prevent the pin from falling out of the car buffer. W

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the pin 10 is made of sufficient length to extend through the opening in the buii'er B and some distance below the lower surface thereof. The result is that when the buiiei and pin are inverted, as is the case when the cars are turned upside down to empty their contents, the locking latch l5 will be turned into locking position as illustrated in Fig. 6 and in Fig. 3 before the pin 10 can fall out of the buffer.

With the particular arrangement illustrated it has been found that the movable member or ball 2O will act very quickly to turn the locking latch into locking position so that this action will take efliect before the pin can drop out ot the buer. Likewise, this arrangement is such that the locking latch will be readily turned into locking position regardless of the position to which the pin may be rotated in the opening in the butter. In other words, the plane of the locking latch need not be in the plane in which the pin is moved when it is inverted. Even though the plane ofthe locking latch is at right angles to the plane in which the pin is moved, the movable member 20 will readily move the latch into locking position and pren vent the pin from falling out ofthe buffer.

The invention is, of course, not limited to the particular details illustrated, but includes such variations as may come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A car coupling pin for use in a car buffer, said pin having on its upper end a part for supporting the pin in vertical position in the buffer, a locking latch pivotally mounted on the lower end thereof, and a gravity actuated device carried by said pin and formed separately from said latch for normally holding said latch in position to permit insertion and withdrawal of said pinA from a car butler, when the first named end ofthe pin is up, said device acting to move said latch into position to lock the pin in the buli'er when the lower end of the pin is turned up.

Q.. A car coupling pin for use in a car buffer, said pin having a head on one end,

and a locking latch pivotally supported on the 'other end thereof, a member carried by said pin and movable axially thereof, said member being adapted to Contact with and hold said latch in inoperative position when 'the head end kof said pin is up, and being adapted to contact with and move said latch -into operative position when the other end of the pin is turned up. I

3. A car coupling pin having a part on its upper end for holding the pin in vertical position in an opening, and having a locking latch pivotally mounted on the lower end thereof, said latch having a locking portion adapted to be projected laterally beyond the side of the pin for locking the same in the opening, said latch also having upper and lower spaced portions adjacent its pivotal support, a movable member carried by said pin between said spaced portions of the latch and adapted to Contact with the lower one of said portions when the upper end of the pin is up to thereby hold said latch in inoperative position and to contact with the other portion when the lower end of the pin is turned up to thereby move said locking portion of the latch into locking position.

4. A car coupling pin having means on its upper end for supporting the same in vertical position in an opening, said pin at its lower end being provided with a longitudinally extending recess, a locking latch pivotally mounted on the lower end of the pin and having upper and lower spaced portions extending transversely of said recess, a member arranged `in saidV recess between said spaced portions of the latch and freely movable by gravity longitudinally of said recess to contact with one or the other of said .spaced portions when the position of the pin is changed, said latch also having a locking portion which is normally held in inoperative position when the upper end of said pin is up and said member is in contact with said lower spaced portion of the latch and which is moved into operative position beyond the side of the pin when the lower end of the pin is up and said member contacts with said upper spaced portion of the latch.

5. A car coupling pin having a head at its upper endend having at its lower end a substantially circular longitudinally extending recess, a locking latch pivotally mounted on the lower end of the pin and having upper and lowerarms extending transversely of said recess, a substantially cylindrical member arranged in said recess between said arms and freely movable by gravity longitudinally thereof to contact with one or the other of said arms, depending upon which end of the pin is up, said latch also having a locking portion which is held in inoperative position when the upper end of the pin is up and said movable member is in Contact with said lower arm and which is moved into operative position beyond the side of'the pin when the lower end of the pin is turned up and said movable member contacts with said upper arm.

6. In combination with a car buffer having a vertical opening, of a coupling pin arranged in said opening, a locking latch pivotally mounted on the lower end of said pin and provided with upper and lower spaced portions, said latch also having a locking portion thereon, a member carried by said pin and freely movable by gravity longitudinally thereof, said member being arranged between said Yspaced portions, said member being arranged to Contact with Said lower spaced. portion of the latch and hold the locking portion thereof in inoperative position when said pin and buffer are in normal position and also arranged to Contact with said upper portion of the latch and move said looking portion int-o position to prevent removal of the pin from the opening when the buffer and pin are inverted.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

WILLIAM J. SIMMONS, SR. 

